1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to Instant Messenger (IM) systems and more particularly to a system and method for providing device management and sharing in an IM system.
2. Description of Related Art
IM systems are well known in the art. Exemplary IM systems include America Online's Instant Messenger (AIM) system, Yahoo! Messenger from Yahoo! and MSN Messenger from Microsoft Corporation. Known IM systems accommodate the use of a webcam for use during an IM session to provide a video-conferencing feature.
Disadvantageously, known IM systems do not provide a facility for assigning webcams and other devices associated with the IM session an identity such that such devices can be accessed and managed outside of the IM session. Thus known IM systems do not support device management and the sharing of devices outside of the IM session.
There therefore exists a need in the art for a facility within an IM system that provides for device management and sharing.